11/12/2024
Dear Citizens, Members, Leadership, and Board Members:
As I prepare to retire on December 1, 2024, I reflect on twenty-five years of service to our District, including fifteen as Board Chairman. Serving our community’s fire and life safety needs has been a profound responsibility, rooted in a shared commitment to safeguarding our community and building a resilient future.
Each of us aspires to leave a legacy that strengthens the lives of our families, our community, and the institutions we serve. I pass Board leadership to Chairman-Elect Rick Danielson, confident his guidance will uphold sound governance in an organization recognized for excellence by state, national, and international authorities.
This legacy reflects the dedication of past and present Commissioners-David Lindsey, Ambrose Amedee, Steve Bradshaw, Gillis Melancon, Evans Spiceland, Hilda B. Rosenthal, Marie Taylor, C.T. Williams, Tom Druen, Arthur Patron, and Jack Schell-and Fire Chief Kenneth Moore, Legal Advisor to the Board Hector Lopez, Secretary Marlaine Peachey, along with the brave men and women who deliver essential services daily. A few of our most significant milestones include:
- International Accreditation: We are one of only two non-Department of Defense agencies in St. Tammany Parish Louisiana accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). This less than 1% distinction highlights our strategic approach, organizational excellence, and commitment to training.
- Class 1 Rating: We are the only Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) Class 1 rated agency in the history of St. Tammany Parish and one of only 104 in the U.S. This highest PIAL rating signifies superior fire protection and correlates to lower property insurance premiums.
- Response Times: We have reduced response times to an average of four minutes and forty-six seconds. This means that in any emergency, our crews and equipment can arrive quickly and provide immediate aid.
- Fire Stations and Equipment: We operate six stations, with two modernized and fully equipped stations recently brought into service. (The second station 46 on Hwy 1088 will be fully operational in December. Strategic issuance of bonds at historically low interest rates has financed these stations, supporting faster response times and saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest costs.
- Call Volume: Our team responds to nearly 8,000 emergency calls annually-an average of 22 each day. Approximately 76% of these calls involve medical transport, reflecting our continuous commitment to life and property safety, hour by hour.
- Property Protected: We protect more than $775 billion in property assets. Thanks to our rapid response, less than 2% of this property was impacted during nearly 3,000 fire emergency calls, helping preserve the public revenue base for schools, law enforcement, and infrastructure.
- Training: We provide nearly 40,000 hours of training annually, both to our team and other emergency agencies. Our new structural fire simulation facility ensures that our responders bring the highest level of professional training to every call.
- Financial Audits: Each year, our financial records, practices, and legal compliance are independently audited and reviewed by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. Achieving a “clean” audit with no identified weaknesses is rare; however, nine of our past audits have confirmed full financial compliance with no material weaknesses.
I turn over leadership of our Board to a competent chairman and commissioners. With the cooperation and commitment of many individuals, I depart leaving this District better able to serve its stakeholders.
I wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a very Happy, Prosperous, Safe and Healthy New Year!
To every stakeholder of this District, it has been my honor to serve you.
Respectfully,
Wm. H. Dobson, LPI
Chairman, Board of Commissioners
St. Tammany Parish Fire District #4
